Rotary engine.



N0. 633,63l. Patented Sept. 26, I899.

A. WIDMAN &. J. C. BAKER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Oct. 17, 1898.?

{No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

llulmunnuTnu|||||||||Il Patented Sept. 26, 1899.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

Ho. 633,63l.

A. wmmm & J. c. BAKER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

lication filed Oct. 17, 1898.)

Lri

\ W'JPM NITED STATES PATENT FFICEQ ALBERT lVIDMAN AND JOHN C. BAKER, OFCONNERSVILLE, INDIANA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,631, datedSeptember 26, 1899.

Application filed October 17, 1898.

To tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT l/VIDMAN and JOHN C. BAKER, citizens oftheUnited States, residing at Connersville, in the county of Fayette andState of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of whichthe following is a specification.

Our invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its object toprovide a simple and compact construction and arrangement of partswhereby an economical application of motive agent to the wings of arotary piston may be attained; to provide a simple construction andarrangement of piston-wings and means for folding the same successivelyas they pass the inlet-port of the casing, and, furthermore, to providemeans for ascertaining and controlling the back pressure upon apiston-wing after passing the exhaust-port.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of an engine constructed inaccordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a central sectional view of thesame taken in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the piston. Fig. 3 isa central sectional view taken in a plane parallel with the axis of thepiston. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the piston.Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective of one of the piston-wings.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

Rising from a suitable base 1 are pedestals 2, at the upper ends ofwhich are arranged bearings for the piston-shaft 4, and secured to saidpiston-shaft is piston-core 5, operating in a casing consisting of acylindrical wall 6 and opposite parallel heads '7.

The engine embodying our invention is of the concentric-piston type,wherein a cylindrical piston-core 5 operates concentrically in thecasing and carried by this piston core are radially-reciprocatory wings8, fitted in radial seats 9 and yieldingly held extended by means ofsprings 10. We preferably dispose the springs, which are of the coiledtype,

Serial No. 693,825. (No model.)

concentric with guide-pins 11, fixed to the piston-core at the innerends of the seats 9 and extending outwardly into guide-openings 12 inthe wings. Extending rearwardly from each piston-wing is a web 13,having a rearwardly and inwardly inclined outer edge forming a cam-face,which in the extended position of the wing extends approximately fromthe outer edge of the wing to the cylindrical surface of thepiston-core, and in large engines we preferably dispose a guide-pin 1%in operative relation with this web to operate in a guide-opening 15 andembraced by a coiled spring 16 for advancing the web outwardly with thewing to prevent cramping or binding, such auxiliary pin 14 andcooperating-spring 16 being illustrated in the drawings.

Secured to the opposite side surfaces of the piston-core are side plates17, of a diameter greater than the steam-chamber of the cylinder andhaving an interlocking connection with the cylindrical wall of thecasing, said side plates or disks being rabbeted, as shown at 18, to fitin rabbets formed in the cylindrical wall 6, with the outer surfaces ofsaid disks in contact with the inner surfaces of the cylinder-heads 7.These disks may be secured by any suitable means to the pistoncore, asby screws 19, and they form not only the means for maintaining thepiston in a truly-alined position with relation to the cylinder andrelieve the piston-shaft 4 of a large proportion of the transversestrain due to the operation of the mechanism, but they serve to preventleakage of the motive agent by reason of the interlocking joint betweentheir peripheries and the cylinder-wall. The disks 17 are provided intheir inner or facing surfaces with guide-grooves 20, alined with thepiston-wing seats 9 to receive the lateral edges of the piston-wings,and thus insure the accurately-alined radial reciprocation of saidwings.

In the construction illustrated the pistonshaft is shown extendingoutwardly through bearing blocks or brasses 21 in the cylinderheads, anda belt or fly wheel 22 may be attached to said shaft as in the ordinarypractice. I

Communicating with the steam-chamber of the chamber of the cylinder isan inlet or feed port 28, and contiguous thereto is the abrupt end of apiston-wing-folding cam 24, which tapers rearwardly from the inlet-portto a point approximately diametrically opposite to said port, where thesurface thereof merges into that of the cylindrical wall of the casing.The surface of this cam is tapped at an intermediate point forcommunication with an exhaust-port 25 and also at a point near theabrupt end for communication with a relief or gage cook 26, and atitsabrupt end the cam is provided with an antifriction bearing-roll 27 forcontact with the peripheral surface of the piston-core and the upper orouter edges of the pistonwing webs.

The inletport 23 communicates with a valve-casing in which is arrangedan oscillatory or rocking valve 28, exposed to the pressure of a motiveagent, such as steam, admitted through the supply-port 29, and therebyheld in efficient contact with the valveseat. Said valve is looselyconnected for radial movement with the cross-sectionallyangularvalve-stem 50, mounted in horizontally-alined hearings in the ends ofthe easing, and to one exposed extremity of said valve-stem is attacheda crank-arm 31, from which extends an eccentric-rod 32 andaneccentric-strap 33, encircling an eccentric 34 on the main or pistonshaft In order to vary the throw of the valve to secure to a greater orless extent the effect of the expansive force of the motive agent, anadjustable connection is formed between the eccentrio-rod and thecrank-arm, such connection in the construction illustrated consisting ofa slot 35, engaged by a pivot-bolt 36.

The described mounting of the valve with I relation to the valve-stemallows radial movement of the valve as the contacting surfaces of thevalve and valve-chamberbecome worn, and the pressure of the fluidcontents of the chamber causes such movement to maintain a steam-tightcontact of the face of the valve with the wall of the chamber.

In operation the steam or other motive agent is admitted at intervalscontrolled by the oscillation of the cut-off valve to act upon the rearor webbed surfaces of the pistonwings, back pressure of the steam ormotive agent being received by the abrupt end of the cam 24, whichconstitutes a fixed abutment. As a wing traverses the surface of the cam24 it is repressed in opposition to the tension of the extending spring10 and also of the auxiliary spring 16 when the latter is employed, andafter said wing passes the exhaust-port 25 all'of the steam or motiveagent remaining in the steam chamber is compressed and forced into thesteam-chamber in advance of the fixed abutment, the reliefcock 26 beingemployed to ascertain the amount of compression. After the wing passesthe fixed abutment it is extended by the force of its actuating-springs, and the rapidity of extension is controlled by the camfaced web 13with the antifriction bearingroll 2% to avoid jar or other irregularityof motion.

It will be understood that by reason of the specific construction,particularly with reference to the interlocking connection between thepiston-disks 17 and the walls of the easing or cylinder, the necessityfor a plurality of stuifing-boxes is avoided. Hence in practice wepreferably arrange simple bearingbrasses 21, as hereinbefore described,in the heads of the cylinder to receive the wear of the piston-shaft,said brasses being adapted by any suitable means for adjustment to takeup lost motion due to Wear. The only stuffing-box which is indispensablein connection with the apparatus as described is that shown at 37,through which extends the valve-stem. Furthermore, the specificconstruction and arrangement of the piston-wings and guiding andcontrolling webs provide for accuracy of movement and prevent bindingduring rapid operation, and thus add materially to the efficiency of thedevice. Furthermore, the compression of steam or air in advance of apiston-wing between the exhaust-port 25 and the gage-cock 26 serves toprevent waste or leakage of pressure rearwardly beyond the roller 27,and by opening the cook the operator may ascertain whether there is anyloss of pressure at this point. A tight contact between the piston-coreand roller 27 cannot be provided because allowance must be made forexpansion of the metalby heat, and if it is ascertained that the backpressure upon the piston-wings is excessive or is more than sufficientto resist the back pressure of the live motive agent past the roller 27said pressure in front of the piston-wing may be partly relieved byopening the cock more or less.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim isl. In a rotary engine,the combination with a piston-core, of spring-extended radiallymovablewings mounted upon the core and carrying rearwardly extending cam facedwebs for extension withthe wings and adapted to traverse a fixed bearingobject, whereby the extension of a wing, after passing a fixed abutment,is accomplished gradually, substantially as specified.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a piston-core provided withradial seats, of a piston wing, provided with an extending spring, andhaving a rearwardly-extending web provided with a cam-face extending tothe surface of the core when the wing is in its operative position,and apermanently-located bearing-roll arranged contiguous to the fixedabutment of the engine-cylinder, to traverse the cam-face of thepiston-web and allow the gradual extension of the wing after passing theabutment, substantially as specified.

In a rotary engine, the combination with acasing having a fixedabutment, and a rearwardly extending piston wing repressing cam, andvalve mechanism for controlling the inlet and exhaust of motive agent,of a piston-core, piston-wings mounted upon said core for radialextension and provided with attached rearwardly-extending webs 13 havingdiagonally-disposed outer cam-faces for traversing a bearing-r011 in theplane of said fixed abutment, and equal in radial extent to the intervalbetween the surface of the core and the wall of the casing, andextendingsprings arranged respectively under the piston-wings and theirwebs, substantially as specified.

4:. In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing provided withspaced inlet and exhaust ports, and valve mechanism for controlling theadmission of motive agent to the inlet-port, a fixed abutment and arearwardlytapered piston-Wing-repressing cam, and a bearing-roller atthe apex of said abutment, of a piston having a core andyieldingly-extended wings having rearwardly-projecting cam-faced websfor cooperation with said repressing-cam and roller, and an adjustablerelief or gage cock communicating with the steam-chamber of the cylinderbetween said fixed abutment and the exhaust-port, Whereby the backpressure upon a piston-wing after passing the exhaust-port, may beregulated to prevent back pressure past said roller, substantially asspecified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaflixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT XVIDMAN. JOHN C. BAKER.

Witnesses:

W. L. Ross, J. P. LoMMEL.

